Brake-shoe.



No. 885,414. PATENTED APR. 21, 1908. E, S. WOODS.

BRAKE SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14, 1907.

2 SHEETS8HEET l.

Y zw/zfjr Li /00d) No. 885,414. PATENTED APR. 21, 1908.

E. s. woons.

BRAKE SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.14, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

f Jive/22in."

fdwumfcfloodd' Illinois, have invented certain new and EDWIN S. WOODS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BRAKE-SHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 21, 1908.

Application filed August 14, 1907. Serial No. 388,437.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN Woons, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of useful Improvements in Brake-Shoes; and I do here by declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this s ecification;

The invention re ates to improvements in brake-shoes designed for use in braking apparatus for railway cars, locomotives and the ike, and the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention relates to an improved wearing or friction face for brake-shoes of this character, and also to a safety attachment designed to prevent parts of the shoe from falling away from the brake-head in case of fracture of the shoe when in use.

It has heretofore been pro )osed to increase the life and efficiency of brake-shoes by forming'the wearing face thereof with alternate soft and hard metal areas, the latter areas having been provided either by incorporating metal inserts in the wearing face of the shoe, made of harder metal than that of the other parts of the wearing face, or by chilling separate areas of the friction face of the shoe in the mold during the casting operation. It is to thelatter general type of brake-shoe to which my invention belongs.

The object of this feature of the invention is to produce a brake-shoe, the wearing face of which is composed of chilled and relatively soft areas so arranged with respect to each other that the proportions of the two areas of differently wearing metal will remain substantially uniform during the life of the shoe, thus producing a shoe having a substantially uniform efficiency throughout the greater portion of it's life {to )roduce a shoe in which the relation of the chilled area to the depth or thickness of the shoe from front to back 18 suchthat said chilled area remains effective and efficient during the maximum life of the shoe, or until it is unsuitable for further use; to produce a shoe having the above mentioned properties wherein the chilled area or areas extend from margin to margin of the wearing face; and, lastly, to produce a shoe lchilled areas are formed on the i sides and bottom walls of depressions of substantial depth in the face of the shoe, thereby providing, in addition to the desirable properties mentioned, clearance spaces between the shoe and wheel which serve to ventilate and keep cool the wearing face of the shoe and to afford means for escape of grit and other foreign particles finding their way between the shoe and wheel.

The object of the second feature of the invention is to provide a safety attachment which is so arranged with respect to the body of the shoe and the attaching lug or other cquivalent shoe-fastening device as to prevent the detachment and falling away of portions of the shoe from the brake-head in case of transverse or other fracture thereof, while avoiding weakening the attaching lug or other analogous part.

In the drawings: F igure 1 is a face view of a brake-shoe embodying one feature of my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate different arran ements of the chilled areas of the wearing ace of the shoe. F lgs.

7 and 8 are longitudinal sections of a brakeshoe showingtwo forms of safety devices for reventing dismembermcnt of the parts of a i racturcd brake-shoe. Fig. i) is a transverse section taken on line )9 of Fig. ,7. Figs. 10 and ii are perspcctive views of the two forms of safety devices shown in Figs. 7 and S, removed from tho shoe. First referring to the feature of my improvements relating to the wearing or friction face ofthe shoe, it consists, in general terms, of forming the wearing face of the shoe with a groove or depression of substantial depth, the side and bottom walls of which and the metal adjacent to said walls are chilled a desired distance laterally and outwardly from said walls, thereby producing at the sides and at the bottom of said don cssion chilled or hardened areas which prolong the life of the shoe against the wearing action of the wheel tread, the soft area or areas of the wearing face being relied upon to produce the desired friction clliciencv between the shoe and the wheel. The chilled. areas at the sides of said grooves or depressions take the first wear brought upon the face of the shoe, and after the wearing face has been worn down to the bottom of the groove or depression the chilled area at the bottom thereof takes the wearing action due to friction of the wheel tread on the shoe. The depth of the chill is such that it extends towards the back of the shoe such distance that it will be effective so long as it is desirable to use the shoe. Preferably, the chill groove or depression is transversely curved at its bottom, as shown in Fig. 3, thus throwing the chilling lines divergingly outward so that the lateral width of the chilled area at the bottom of the groove or depression which is brought into use during the latter part of the life of the shoe is substantially the same as the chilled areas at thesidcs of thegroove or depressmn, available .at the beginning of the use of the shoe. The chilling of the walls of the grooves or depressions is' effected in the usual manner by chill bars or plates during the casting o eration.

Referring now specifica y to the shoe in which my invention is shown as embodied in variousforms, A designates a shoe of standard form and dimensions, usually made of a gray iron casting, a the curved wearing face of the shoe, and A designates a familiar form of attaching lug provided with a keyway a to receive a standard form of key by which the shoe is attached to the brakehead. So far as is concerned the improved wearing face herein claimed, the structural features of the shoe above referred to may be varied as desired. e

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing the groove or. depression comprises a straight part B 'dis osed longitudinally of the shoe and centra 1y of the Wearing face thereof, and diverging branch portions B, B at the ends of the wearing face which extends to the lateral margin of said face, In the arrangement shown iriFig. 4, a single continuous groove or depression is provided, which consists principally of a straight longitudinal portion C and laterally and oppositely curved end portions C, C which extend to the side margins of the wearing face. In thear rangement shown in Figs. 5 and 6,- the grooves or depressions D and D respectively, thereof extend transversely across,

the wearing face of the shoe from one side margin to the other. In the latter two fig ures are shown a plurality of grooves or depressions which are arranged parallel to each other. The grooves D of Fig. 5 extend directly across the wearing face or at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the shoe. The grooves or depressions E of Fig. 6: extend obli uely'acrossthe wearing face.

The di 'erent arrangement of the grooves or de ressions herein illustrated are only a few of many practical forms and dispositions which they may be made to assume, while maintaining the general advantages of the chilled areas of the sides and bottoms of the grooves or depressions.

n; will be noted that in each bf the arrangements of the grgoves or depressions illustrated a chilled area or areas extend transversely across the weari g face of the shoe from side to side thereof hi h is advantageous, inasmuch as it pro chilled area or areas of uniform hardn ll on side to side of the wearing face.

Another advantage of carryin the ends of the grooves or depressions entirely to the margins of the wearing face that such ar rangement provides clearance spaces through which grit or other foreign substances finding their way between the brake-shoe and the wheel may esca e and also provides meansother tough metal members which are an chored in the body of the shoe and are pro vided with loops or retaining members which are external to and so arranged with respect to the retaining lug or memberof the shoe that the locking key or which fastens the shoe to tie head passes through the loops of the safety members, whereby in case of fracture of parts of the shoe the safety devices become suspending members by which the parts of the shoe are suspended from the brake-head. The said suspending devices are not designed pri marily to strengthen the shoe body by reason of being embedded therein, though when so connected with the shoe may incidentally produce such strengthening cll'cct. They may be anchored to the shoe body in other wa fir the construction shown in F 7 9 and. 10, the devices, which I have herein termed suspended devices, comprise two loops E, E made of malleable rods or wires-and embrace parallel side members c, 6, connected by a transversely curved portionc at their outer ends. The said parallel members e, e are shown as embedded in the back of the shoe, as clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 9. The i11 other ecpiivalent device ner ends of said suspending devices are of closed or looped form and are bent upwardly to constitute loops e which lie against the opposite side faces of theretaining lug A but are not embedded therein. As a result of this construction, the upturned looped ends e of the suspending devices receive the locking key by which the shoe is locked to the head,

whereby, should the shoe become fractured and the. fractured parts separate, or should the lug be broken off from the shoe, saidbroken art will be suspended from the locking key y the suspending devices. In view of the fact that the upturned looped portions of the iao in Figs. 7, Sand 9.

,mg lug so as to prevent said suspending ,lnembers are not embedded in the retainin' 'lug, the lug, which is of relatively smal cross-section, retains its full stren th am; is not weakened by reason of the chilling action of the metal of said susending devices on the metal which forms the ug. It may be found desirable in practice to provide some means for attaching the free arts of the upturned loops c to the attachloops from being objectionab'ly bent outwardly from the lug during the handling of the shoe in the sho or during shipment. any suitable manner, as by molding small bodies, a", of metal against the cross members of the loops and the sides of the lug, as shown By reason of the the suspending members E, it will be noted that said members are interlocked with the body. 'of the shoe in a manner to effectively prevent fractured parts of the shoe slipping off the suspending devices, as might be true 4 if the side portions e of said suspending members were made straight.

In Figs. 8 and 11 of the drawings, 1 have shbwn another form of suspending device designated by F. Two of these devices are provided, as in the other construction, each consisting of side members f which are conneeted at their inner ends by upturned looped )ortions f, similar to the looped portions e efore referred to. At the other or outer ends of the suspending devices the side members are reversely bent upon themselves to provide members f lying between said side members and generally parallel therewith. This arrangement produces the required interlocking connection of the sus )ending devices with the shoe-body for tie purpose hereinbefore set forth. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 8 and 11, the suspending devices are interlocked with each other in such manner that the suspending loop f of each member is located at the side of the attaching lug A remote from that )ortion of the shoe in which the main body ol the suspending device is embedded. This same ar'ran *crnent may be followed with respect to the orni of suspending device shown in Figs. 7, 9 and 10,

in which event one of the upturned looped )ortions e will be made sufficiently large to L8 received by the correspondingly looped portion of the other device.

I claim as my invention:

1. A brake-shoe, the wearing face of which is formed partially of soft metal and having a depression of substantial bottom walls of which depression are chilled to provide hardened areas on the sides and bottom thereof.

2. A brake-shoe, the wcaringface of which is formed with a depression of substantial depth, having a part which extends longitudinally of said face, the side and bottom This may be ell'ecte in l I. closed end portions 0 of depth, the sideand walls of said depression being chilled to provide hardened areas at the sides and bottom thereof.

3; A brake-shoe, the wearing face of which is formed partially of soft metal and having a depression of substantial depth extending in part transversely of the wearing face, the side and bottom walls of the depression being chilled to provide hardened areas at the sides and bottom thereof.

4:. A brake-shoe, the wearing face of which is forn'ied-partially of soil metal and having a depression of substantial depth extending from side to side of the wearing face and open at the ends thereof at the side margins of said face, the walls of the depression being chilled to provide hardened areas exterior to the depression.

5. A brake-shoe, the wearing face of which is formed with a depression, of which a portion extends longitudinally of the face and a portion extends transversely of said face, the walls of said depressions being chilled to provide hardened areas exterior to said depression.

6. A brake-shoe, the wearing face of which is formed with a depression, of which a portion extends longitudinally of the face and a portion extending transversely of said face and o enin at the side margins of the face, the sir e {LIN bottom walls of said depression being chilled to provide hardened areas at the sides and bottom of said depression.

7. A brake-shoe, the wearing face of which is formed with a de ression of substantial depth, the sides and ottom walls of which are chilled to provide hardened areas on the sides and bottom of the depression, the bottom of said depression being transversely curved.

8. The combination with a brake-shoe and its apcrtured retaining lug, of a pair of malleable wire loop-shaped safety devices anchored to the shoe, the inner ends of said loop being turned u nvardly and fitting one against each side of the retaining lug but not embedded therein, the arrangement being such that the side and inner end members of the loop partially inclose the aperture of said lug and constitute suspending members throu h which is adapted to extend a key which loc s the shoe in place.

9. The combination with a brake-shoe and its attaching lug, of safety devices anchored to and adapted to hold the parts of the shoe together in case ol fracture of the shoe, said devices being provided with loops which rise from the body of the shoe and are located adjacent to the sides of the retaining lug, the loopol' each device being located on that side of the lug remote from the part of the shoe to which it is anchored.

l(). The combination with a brake-shoe and its retaining lug, of a safety device anchored to the body of the shoe and formed 4; ees aie with a loop which fits en the side of the re- In testimony, that I claim the fregoing as mining lug, but is not embeddediherein, my inventienl afib: my signature in the in the opening in said 100p being so arrzinged presence of two Witnesses, this 9th day of with respect to the retaining lug as to receive August, h. D, 1967.

a locking device designed to engage the retaining lug to lock the shoe on the brakehead, and means for holding the free ends of said loops fixed to the retaining lug.

EDWIN S. WOODS. Vvitnesses:

T. 11 ALFREDs, GEORGE i huinqs. 

